Save Water!

For those that have attended our Water School meetings, the time is finally here! Our new self assessment app "Know Your H20 is now available on the iTunes store for free! Right now there are only a self assessment for Tree Crops but we will be working in the near future to create sections for Greenhouses & Nurseries, Animal Agriculture, and Commercial Turf & Landscape. We'll let you know as those become available.

App Description

Water quality laws and regulations are putting a heavy burden on agriculture nationwide. Although Agriculture is not the only concern, runoff from agricultural properties can contain contaminant levels that exceed water quality standards. Runoff from agricultural operations can pick up and carry natural and man-made pollutants, including fertilizers, salts, pesticides and sediments to lakes, rivers, wetlands and beaches.

Certain growing practices can contribute to water quality problems, however, Best Management Practices (BMPs) can be utilized to minimize the impact of agriculture on water quality.

This Self-Assessment Application will help you assess your growing practices and their potential impact on water quality. It will also provide suggestions for Best Management Practices that can help to solve your water quality problems.

This application does not store any user data or email addresses. The application does not require connectivity to perform the assessment. Connectivity is required to download the application and to email the assessment report.

The initial fee that was paid when you join the irrigated lands group is a one-time fee. This fee paid for the setup of the group and the enrollment fee for the Ag Waiver that is paid to the Regional Water Quality Control Board. There is currently no additional annual fee that is paid to any of the groups in San Diego County. In the future, when routine monitoring takes place, an annual fee will probably be charged, based on acreage. In other areas this fee is usually between$10.00-$25.00 per acre per year.

Q. What is in a Spill Kit?

The following items should be included in your spill kit.

A 3-5 gallon bucket with a lid (to hold the contents and to contain the cleaned-up material.

Gloves for protection of your hands from toxic or corrosive materials

Goggles for eye protection

A particle mask to prevent inhalation of spilled materials

Approximately 3-5 lbs of absorbent material, such as Kitty Litter to absorb the spilled material.

Heavy duty plastic bags to hold the spilled material/kitty litter after it is cleaner up, and twist ties to seal the bags

It is also a good idea to add a marker to label the bags of cleaned-up material, and some Tyvek coveralls.

Q. If I use a grove management service, do I need to train my grove manager?

It is the job of the grove manager to make sure he receives proper training, and also trains his/her employees. You do not need to provide training for them. It is a good idea to ask them if they have received the necessary water quality training, however.

Q. Do you need duplicate records for different reporting agencies or if you have a large operation and keep your records in different locations?

The Ag Waiver requires that you keep records. It is not necessary to have multiple sets of records for each site, but you have to be able to produce them upon request. It is reasonable to keep one set at your main location. If you have multiple locations, it might be a good idea to keep digital copies of your records, so it will be easier to access them from all locations.

If you have any other questions that didn't come up at the class, feel free to comment below and I'll get back to at my earliest convenience. Thanks for the feedback!

At several of the “Water Schools” I was asked questions about TMDLs in our area. Just a little background:

A TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) is term that refers to the level of pollutants in a water body. How much of a particular pollutant, say, Phosphorous, can a stream assimilate, or deal with in a day’s time without causing the water to no longer be usable? If the level of that pollutant exceeds the appropriate daily level, it may trigger the State of California, through it’s local Regional Water Quality Control Board, to develop a TMDL program. These programs are designed to clean up the particular pollutant over a period of several years. The TMDL programs may have serious implications for your growing operations in the affected watersheds, particularly if the pollutants that are being targeted are related to agricultural production.

Here is a link to the TMDL’s that are on the list in the San Diego area. Not all of these programs are started yet, but are on the list for current or future TMDL development.

As members of the Ag Waiver and any of the Irrigated Lands Monitoring Groups in the San Diego area, you need to complete two hours of water quality education per calendar year. We are hosting "Water Schools" at a variety of locations in the county to help you complete your educational requirement. If you have attended one of our "Water Schools", we hope you enjoyed it! Our "Water Schools" are free and open to members of any monitoring group. You will receive a certificate of completion of your two hours of education when you attend. If you have not attended, and need your two hours of education required by the Ag Waiver, here are our upcoming classes:

Hey Bloggers,Summer is just around the corner and the San Diego County Fair is starting up Friday, June 10th! Our Water Wise Farming display from the Flower Fields has had a makeover for the 'Riding in Style theme,' so be sure to visit the Flower & Garden Show near the O'Brien Hall.

For those that didn't have a chance to make it out to Carlsbad this year, our display is a mock-up of the Flower Fields and highlights many of the Best Management Practices (BMP's) farmers use to prevent runoff and minimize water pollution. Stop by and find out how you can help make your garden or growing operation a little more Water Wise!